Events | Pleasanton Chamber of Commerce mixer at Wente Vineyards

Sweet summer, picnic-ky theme set the stage for Pleasanton's Chamber of Commerce mixer at Wente Vineyards. As one of Wente's recommended vendors, we were invited to sponsor the flowers for this event. The simple mix of white daisies and seeded eucalyptus in glass vases were the perfect accompaniment to the red-plaided, green linens and white wooden folding chairs on Wente's new ceremony setting, The Vineyard Lawn.

It was refreshing to meet some local businesses that were NOT in the wedding industry:

(1) Amelia's Gourmet Deli-Bistro - freshly baked breads daily and is venturing into the cupcake side of the wedding business, coming soon online

(2) Sue Evans Photography - refreshing to meet a photographer who does NOT do weddings, but focuses on "nature and you"

(3) Cynthia Safdari Realtor - buy or sell with cindy (buyorsellwithcindy@yahoo.com) at J. Rockcliff Realtors, Pleasanton location

(4) Red Door Restoration - Z Safdari, Cynthia's husband, has been in the business for 20 years and does everything from new construction to construction management and mold remediation (reddoorrestoration@yahoo.com)

Vendors | New PREFERRED VENDOR LIST

Our new PREFERRED VENDOR LIST is up on our website!! You can view at http://www.anniesiu.com/, click on "CONTACT' then click on "VENDOR LIST".

OR, you can view the list below. Click on these preferred vendors' links to view more of their work on their website. Be sure to let them know Annie Siu Floral & Events sent you their way!

Cake .. www.cakemaker.net
Chair Covers .. www.eychaircovers.com
Coordinator .. www.mbweddingdesigns.com
Coordinator .. www.stacymccain.com (*new!)

DJ .. www.yabata.com
DJ .. www.thespinheads.com (*new!)
Gowns .. www.uniquebride.com (*new!)
Invitations .. www.amberchic.com
Lighting .. www.elle-music.com (*new!)
Makeup and Hair .. abbeauty.blogspot.com

Photographer .. www.kurtyphotography.com
Photographer .. www.photographybyjonathan.com
Photographer .. www.chungliphotography.com
Photographer .. www.diarao.com (*new!)

Venue .. Memorial Club and Hotel, San Francisco (*new!)
Venue .. San Francisco City Hall, San Francisco (*new!)
Venue .. San Jose Museum of Art, San Jose (*new!)
Venue .. Wente Vineyard, Livermore (*new!)
Venue .. The Westin and The Sheraton, Palo Alto (*new!)

Wente Vineyards, Livermore e-postcards!

A few weeks back, I blogged about my sales presentation at Wente Vineyards. Needless to say, the meeting went well, that quickly following, I had my graphics guy rush to put together a "venue postcard" for all the sales managers to send to their clients. It's in a similar format as the one we had designed for our San Francisco City Hall ad, (so that it's easily recognizable as one of our marketing campaigns), but the pictures were swapped out and wording added, so that this new postcard specifically featured the florals we had done at Wente Vineyards.

For now, this new postcard is in pdf format only. I am embracing the fact that Wente and myself don't feel the need to send out traditional packets of information/postcards. Packets mailed out just means wasted paper, wasted time and wasted postage, especially when the same information can be sent faster, with less waste and probably better received via email/internet anyway. GO GREEN!

Photographer Martina Konietzny Photography

Recommended Vendor of Wente Vineyard!

With 125 years of history and still family-owned, Wente Vineyards has the ultimate wine country setting for weddings and events...AND it's only in Livermore!

In the last 2 years, we've done a few weddings in their beautiful outdoor terrace lawn. Because we've kept in touch with their ultra-nice sales manager during this time, I've recently been invited to meet their other 4 sales managers in the office to do a sales presentation. Bringing them (including the sales assistants and director) each a little squared shaped vase arrangement - inside leaf-wrapped, of green spider mums, midnight-blue thistle with just a touch of eucalyptus - each laid in a 3X3 squared formation. The whole could be used for a centerpiece but then taken individually as favors - serving double duty in this day and age of reduce, reuse and recyle - this idea was easily well-received by all the managers for going-green! LOVE IT!









(not pictured very good here, but you get the idea!)

Below are some weddings we've done at Wente, which are also clips from our new print portfolio (that we've slaved over to finish within a one-month deadline for THIS meeting and other marketing events in the last few weeks, well-worth it because we are now one of their recommended vendors!):





Photographers
Martina Konietzny Photography (top)
Todd Rafalovich (bottom)

BAWN First Quarter Event!

Something old, something new, that was the ongoing theme for BAWN's (Bay Area Wedding Network) First Quarter Event, held at the historic San Francisco building, Marine's Memorial Club & Hotel. As a preferred vendor there, we were graciously asked to sponsor the flowers for this event.

The old for us is definitely having worked at the Marine's multiple times and seeing the other preferred vendors of the Marine's as well - Pete and Terry of The Spinheads (below left), Bala and Mandy of The Cakemaker (not pictured) and Beverly of Especially Yours Chair Covers (below right).












But the "new" is multiple too:
(1) Working with Gwen at Classic Party Rentals and going to town with the ceremony and reception tables, the Crystal Lounge has never looked so "enchanting" and magical!










(2) coming up with new aisle decor - using napkins matching to the chivari chair cushions without having to sew or cut, but just with double-sided tape and pins, making it seamless! (I will reveal my sources/mechanics if you ask! =P)












(3) meeting loads of new friends:
Jean of Jean Marks Weddings (my new blogging/picture taking buddy!), Amy of Amy Wedding & Events, Julie of Four Seasons, Adrienne of Adrienne D. Keats Calligraphy, me!









me!, Mary of Very Merry Events and Dia of Dia Rao Photography - my partners in crime for the night!









me! and Janae of Janae Shields Photography









(4) And other noteables are Jennifer of Jennifer Skog (can't wait to get pictures from you for this event!, Maria of Professional Makeup Artistry and of course Gwen of Where to Start and Maria of Creative Occasions, co-founders of BAWN!

Hillsdale Bridal Expo & Registry Faire

What's more fun than going shopping while it's raining outside?

"Shopping" for a venue of course! (well, that is, if you are a bride and groom-to-be!) We were so lucky to be asked to sponsor the flowers for The Westin Palo Alto and Sheraton Palo Alto Hotels' table at the Hillsdale Bridal Expo & Registry Faire this past Sunday.

We did a centerpiece, leaf-wrapped vase of light blue hydrangeas, creamy lisianthus and white with buttery-centered spider mums, twined with beargrass. A bridal bouquet of the same buttery-white spider mums with folded-leaves around the edge and a matching miniature spider mum for the groom.

There's me (right) with my friend/Catering Manager (left)! We have now partnered up and are officially on their Preferred Vendor's List!

SJMA Open House!

San Jose Museum of Art's Open House, "Art-inspired Events" was more than a networking event, it was FUN, inspiring and exhilarating! We were asked to sponsor the flowers for the martini room - be inspired from Andy Warhol's very famous martini glass - the glass itself was green, with a purple olive and yellow background. We studied and studied the picture and decided to do something abstract - tall, slender cylinder vases of sleek stems of green calla lilies, curved to shape like martini glasses, with purple flowers and olives around the lip of the vase. As for the registration and coat check area, we did six smaller cylinder vases of green/yellow spider mums in purple water with a curvy toothpick pierced through a rich purple aster flower on top, as to mimic an olive.

My photographer friend, Chung Li and new wedding coordinator friend, Amy Tam of Amy's Wedding & Events were having so much FUN (but maybe it was because of the three martinis for me =P) that we stayed till the end!

Here is me with my wonderful assistant, Jamie!

The night ended finally when the wonderful Louise of SJMA graciously gave me a brand-new copy of the museum's permanent collection. What a way to end the night!

San Francisco City Hall Preferred Florist!

We are officially on San Francisco City Hall's Preferred Professionals' List! I've just received an email from the publication announcing San Francisco City Hall wedding & special events brochure is off press and should be at the venue already, to be distributed to all engaged couples and event planners.

Here is an electronic link to the e-brochure: our ad is on page 24!

http://ebrochure.hawthornpublications.com/go/sanfrancityhall

But you can see MANY pictures in the pages prior to the ads - pictures specifically to feature City Hall were chosen from pictures I had submitted on behalf of Chung Li Photography. Page 3, Page 5, Page 12, Page 13 (that's our bride!), Page 14 (that's our flowers and cake from www.goldleafconfections.com), Page 15 (that's our centerpieces and our bride again!). There must be a reason why SO MANY of Chung Li's pictures were chosen - maybe because he IS that good! LOVE LOVE LOVE his stuff, at first sight!

All pictures on our ad (Page 24) were also courtesy of Chung Li Photography. Thanks Chung!

We are also listed on http://www.elegala.com/ as a preferred professional on the feature page for San Francisco City Hall: http://resources.elegala.com/venues/125-san-francisco-city-hall

And also listed on http://www.elegala.com/ within our industry in the venue's state: http://resources.elegala.com/local_search/search

Paula Le Duc event at City Hall

Usually for a corporate event, there is no professional photographer hired. Although this event at City Hall was smaller, it was still elaborate enough that I asked my photographer friend, Chung Li, as a favor to come and photograph it. As if Chung needs more pictures for his portfolio of City Hall AND of my flowers in it (this will be the third time we've teamed up together at the same venue), but without hesitation, he ecstatically agreed to come along.

I am so spoiled once again with pictures from Chung Li Photography, who's turnaround time is just impeccable! By the very next morning, he's already emailed these pictures to me. How does he do it? Just ask him at chung@chungliphotography.com.